The Trouble With Breezies

The last time we got a Fluttershy episode, we got one that had a plot that sounded good, but was riddled with plot holes, the story felt like it was recycled from Hurricane Fluttershy, and a certain character crossed the line. Now while there were good highlights of that episode, I still felt disappointed in it. This time, we take a look at what happens when she runs across the mystical Breezies. Natasha Levinger returns again, who you should remember is the writer of Pinkie Apple Pie, but has never written Fluttershy. So how does Levinger's first attempt at writing Fluttershy hold up?

We open to a field where Fluttershy is explaining to her friends about how the Breezies are coming through Ponyville. Rainbow Dash has been enlisted in creating a breeze to help the creatures get to their native land, while Fluttershy tries to train her friends to cheer quietly for the Breezies.

Then it cuts to . . . a mariachi band? Hooray for Mexican Ponies being confirmed! Rainbow Dash is trying to get a team of pegasi in to help create a breeze. Meanwhile, Mr. Cake is asking Fluttershy why the pegasi need to make a breeze, which she replies to saying that it creates their magic and ensures the pollen they're carrying isn't destroyed and get them to their land in two days before the portal closes.

After Fluttershy warns Rarity of the outfit she's wearing may blind the Breezies, we then get to see the little creatures themselves. Let me say right now, they aren't what I expected at all. They really look like Tinkerbell if she was genetically spliced with a horse and bees. In actuality, they are old creatures from G3 of MLP, so I guess hooray for old generation references. During the observation, Spike is trying to see the Breezies, but is getting blocked from view. Okay, I don't know about you all, but that joke has gotten really old now. It wasn't honestly that funny in Filli Vanilli and it's not that funny here. He goes up a tree to watch and hopes around in excitement, but a leaf falls off and somehow this causes the Breezies to get separated. This sounds like a rather weak conflict setup, but it may be just me.

Fluttershy, in a very brave moment, goes after the Breezies and saves them from harm. The others congratulate their friend for her actions while Spike says how sorry he is for what he did, in an melodramatic way that shows that maybe he's taking drama lessons from Rarity. He naturally then decides to stay out of the way, mostly due to the fact that Breezies are unhappy with him. The leader of the Breezies, whose name is Seabreeze, talks to Flutttershy in an Irish accent. Irish and Spanish in the same episode? I'm now expecting to see an Italian pony now.

In Fluttershy's house, she's taking care of them, but Twilight and Applejack come in and say that it's time for the Breezies to leave. Fluttershy looks at them and thinks that she should care for them more. Seabreeze objects to this, for he, yes I thought it was she from the way he looked. May want to get a manecut and try to look a little more like a dude. Anyway, he wants to go home, but the other Breezies take advantage of Fluttershy's kindness and fake being sick to stay longer and party more. Seabreeze tries to constantly tell the others to come home, but they won't listen. In his anger, he takes off on his own in the breeze, much to the worry and shock of Fluttershy.

Seabreeze is seen trying to fly home, but nearly gets hit by an acorn and accidentally crashes into a bee hive. Just as he's about to be attacked, Fluttershy comes in to save the day, but after two attempts of asking them peacefully to go back, she berates them for not listening to her and warns them to leave, which they do. Seabreeze thanks Fluttershy for her help and explains he wants to get the others home, but they won't listen to them. Fluttershy points out that he's been rather cruel and angry to his fellow Breezies and won't listen to him. When he asks though about how she acted towards the bees, it's because she said they had to go and they wouldn't listen to her any other way. We suddenly see Fluttershy's eyes glow a rainbow color, so we all know what this means now.

Fluttershy and Seabreeze return to the house, where the pegasus sternly tells them that it's time to leave and go back home, which they finally agree to. Back in Ponyville, Rainbow is trying to get the breeze just right for the Breezies, but it doesn't work. Twilight then says she found an old spell in the old castle, which . . . turns her and her friends into Breezies? Okay, I guess Twilight can now do that. I guess you can argue that the Mane 6 did this because they wanted to help make sure the Breezies got home safely, but at the same time it feels a bit unnecessary. It's not bad at all, it just feels really out of the blue. It's a very interesting surprise to say the least.

On the way home, Seabreeze apologizes for the way he acted earlier and convinces the others that they can make it home. They do get to go back home and Seabreeze is shown that he has a wife and kid. He stops Fluttershy before she leaves and says thanks for all her help before handing her a flower, which glows that same rainbow color. We then hear Fluttershy, in her thoughts at least, about her lesson. She says that kindness comes in many forms, but being too kind can prevent them from doing something they need to do and that pushing them away is sometimes the best thing to do. So the Mane 6 leave, Twilight turns everypony back to normal, and so the episode ends with Rainbow wanting to know what other transformation spells there are.

Well how did this hold up? Well I can safely say this was a huge improvement over the lackluster episode that was Filli Vanilli. The storyline here feels very fresh and inspired with a lot of interesting twists here and there. Fluttershy's portrayal by Levinger is a very good one in my opinion. She's not really shy in this episode and instead does show she can be brave, stern, and still be the same kind pony we've come to know and love. This goes back to my love for how the ponies and characters are growing and developing. Fluttershy has certainly come a long way since we first saw her in the series premier.

The Breezies themselves are pretty good. Unlike in most stories where creatures take advantage of someone's kindness for no reason, there's an actual reason this time. Granted the reason was only because of how mean Seabreeze was, but at least there was a reason this time. My only complaint with them really is that I feel that if Seabreeze can speak English with Fluttershy, why couldn't the others then? I couldn't even tell what language they were speaking. Maybe it was more Irish words or something.

The jokes are very good, but there aren't so many in this episode. Seeing Pinkie get all excited over the Breezies was pretty funny, Spike's melodramatic performance was pretty good, and, of course, the way the Mane 6 speak as Breezies sounded funny. My only gripe is that they had to reuse the whole Spike can't see something because somepony's blocking him joke. It wasn't that funny honestly in Filli Vanilli, and it wasn't in this episode either. That joke should've been scrapped.

The only really big gripe here in this episode is that I feel the conflict for how the Breezies got separated was a little too weak. I mean I know these are delicate creatures and all, but a leaf blowing by is all it takes? And for that matter, if they needed to keep a constant breeze that was gentle, how come when they were traveling through a snowy field and desert, the winds didn't change? There weren't pegasi following them the trip home or anything. I'm confused on this whole thing.

Regardless of that, I think this episode was really solid and a big improvement over Filli Vanilli. Its story is very good and has a lot of interesting twists to it. The jokes were really good, especially the Mane 6 speaking as Breezies. It overall showed Fluttershy at her best in a long time. A fantastic episode overall that's worth a look, Fluttershy fan or not, it's really worth watching.

Next time, Apple Bloom gets the spotlight as she deals with an overprotective Applejack.

FINAL SCORE: 9/10

. Wasn't this episode supposed to take place during the events of Three's a Crowd? Didn't Fluttershy say that she was going on a trip to see them? What happened to that?

The Return

Great animation and some highlights like the return of the Breezies that now speaks an imgainary language, the Doctor with 3D glasses together with Rose, Twilight transforingm ponies into Breezies and more. Not the best S4 episode but I think it's a good break inbetween Pinkie Pride and another upcoming hectic Season ending that I think will be the most amazing Season ending we will have. But this is not the last time we will see the Breezies. 8/10

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